“Face your demons… Or feed them. The people of Ravka don’t know what Nikolai Lantsov endured in their bloody civil war and he intends to keep it that way. Yet each day a dark magic in him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. Zoya Nazyalensky has devoted her life to rebuilding the Grisha army. Despite their magical gifts, Zoya knows the Grisha cannot survive without Ravka as a place of sanctuary – and she will stop at nothing to help Nikolai secure the throne. Far north, Nina Zenik wages her own kind of war against the people who would see the Grisha destroyed. Burdened by grief and a terrifying power, Nina must face her past to have any hope of defeating the dangers that await her. Ravka’s king. Ravka’s general. Ravka’s spy. They will risk everything to save a broken nation. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried, and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.”
What is the book about?
Nikolai Lantsov’s subjects don’t know what he endured at the hands of the Darkling during the civil war, and he intends to keep that secret for as long as he lives. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried and this one certainly doesn’t want to. The dark magic within him just keeps getting stronger, and he must find a way to destroy it once and for all…or it will destroy him and everything he has spent the past 3 years building. Zoya Nazyalensky took her role as general of the Second Army (an army of powerful Grisha from all 3 orders) and she set to rebuilding it after it was destroyed by the Darkling. Her aim is to make Ravka a safe place for people like her, but that’s not her only problem – she also has to help Nikolai secure the throne before it gets taken from him. In Fjerda, Nina Zenik is working undercover to help all the Grisha she can escape from the people who would stop at nothing to see their kind destroyed. But she is burdened by her grief and a new, terrifying power, and if she doesn’t get past this it won’t just be her life she puts at risk. Ravka is struggling and it’s up to its king, general and spy to save it…or sink it.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
After finishing Crooked Kingdom I was beyond ecstatic that there was a whole other duology set in the same world and from the point of characters I already knew and loved. I had absolutely adored the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology and I was more than ready to dive into a third series. I knew I was going to love King of Scars just like the previous 5 books by Leigh Bardugo that had already ensured their places as some of my favourite books. So, when I finally started to read, my opinion was already biased. After reading the blurb I was even more excited because it was going to be a book that included my favourite characters from both previous series and I was soon feeling desperate to dive back into the Grishaverse (honestly these books are like a drug!). Once I started to read I knew that I had been so right and that it was going to be another magical read. However, initially I had found a little hard to get into the book and found the first chapter a little confusing – though I shouldn’t have been so dramatic since everything was explained in the next couple of chapters and soon I was sailing through the story, forgetting where I was and just loving every second.
Who was your favourite character and why?
Honestly, I loved all three of the main characters and enjoyed all of their perspectives. Nina Zenik had been my favourite character throughout Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom with her selfless nature and her strength. I particularly liked her now because of the new anger she had within her, which somehow she managed to see past in order to still dedicate her thoughts to others. I seriously don’t know how a girl who has lost everything can continue to think only of others. I know she was more ruthless in King of Scars and she sometimes acted just because she was angry and wanted to hurt someone, but I liked her even more this way because it was clear to me that she was even stronger than ever because she was able to see past it all and continue being kind and trying to help everyone she could. Another character I liked was Nikolai Lantsov. I had enjoyed every scene he was a part of since he appeared in Siege and Storm and delighted in the comic relief he brought. His personality honestly radiated calm energy from the pages and somehow he always knew exactly what to say. I especially loved seeing things from his point of view in this book because it made me really understand that he used his personality as a mask to hide his real feelings and keep everything hidden. It enlightened me to the truth and made me like him even more. The third main character, Zoya Nazyalensky, really surprised me. It wasn’t that I had disliked her once I got to the end of Ruin and Rising (though I had hated her in Shadow and Bone, like Alina had), but she had been nowhere near my favourite. But seeing things through that person’s eyes always makes you realise that there is more to them than meets the eye and sometimes even the cruellest people have a soft interior. In this case, Zoya’s interior was just as cold as her exterior, but for a good reason: she had trained herself to be that way because she didn’t want anyone to ever hurt her again. When I got to the end of the book, I was actually rooting for her to get what she wanted and was feeling for her when she lost it before she even got it.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
This question was extremely difficult for me to answer, which was a surprise seeing as I loved the book so much. Every part was amazing, but none really stood out to me. I suppose there is one part that will live in my heart forever: when Nina finally let go of the person she had been dragging along and grieving since Ketterdam. It was probably one of the most emotional scenes of the book and until that scene I was tearing up at every mention of what had happened and every time Nina heard the voice in her head, which she would do anything to hear come from the lips of the person she lost. I don’t think I have ever cried for such a huge chunk of a book, and I even cried when I wasn’t reading. These two characters will live in my heart forever and I will honestly never forgive Leigh Bardugo for taking their future away. The burial was a scene that broke my heart and Nina’s little speech stole the show, leaving me breathless and feeling like I had been drowned by my tears. It was such a strong and emotional scene, and, even though I didn’t like that it was happening, I loved how well written it was and how it tugged at my heart and made me forget that the characters I was mourning weren’t real (though I suppose it’s not my fault as our brains don’t understand the difference between fiction and real life).
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, King of Scars was an incredible book and I loved reading just as much as all the other books that I have read by Leigh Bardugo. One thing that I loved was the switch from Kerch to Ravka. I had missed the original country from the first books and loved going back to the familiar walls of the Little Palace. I had also missed the main characters from the Shadow and Bone series and had been so happy to see them all again, and also to see that the couples who had started to fall in love were now married and together. I loved Ketterdam and all the characters from the Six of Crows series, and if I’m honest I liked these books more than the original trilogy, but the characters I meet in Shadow and Bone were the ones that started this adventure for me and this newfound addiction with the Grishaverse, and I was glad to get to go back to them. Another thing that I really loved was seeing Fjerda in more detail. It really shocked me that this country could literally share a border with Ravka and yet they couldn’t be any more different. They hated the Grisha and wanted to see them all destroyed whilst the Ravkans literally had a palace and an army dedicated to these magical beings. However, I believed, like Matthias had, that the Fjerdans could change their way of thinking and understand that maybe the Grisha weren’t witches but gifts from God and that maybe they could save the world rather than destroy it. I really liked that Nina decided to make this her mission and help Fjerda see the truth about her kind – she was giving them mercy like Matthias had asked. One last thing I loved was the cute little dynamic between Nikolai and Zoya. It was very surprising and I wasn’t expecting it, but it was so cute and refreshing. The way they were constantly teasing each other and the way that they had to see past their feelings because of their jobs as Ravka’s king and general. I don’t think either of them understood what it was they were feeling and why tiny things bothered them, like when one of them was being hit on or the other was in danger. Also the fact that they saw each other at their worst and that they were able to share things they couldn’t with anyone else (it was so cute!!). I know this might be nothing, but I’m hoping it isn’t and that one of them will act on it, though I am very doubtful as they both always put their country before themselves. King of Scars was incredible and after the cliff-hanger that I just got left on I know I will be reading Rule of Wolves in a day or less, hoping for answers.
Would you recommend this book?
I absolutely recommend reading King of Scars, though you really need to read the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology first, as it does contain a couple spoilers for them and it would be beneficial. I think King of Scars is best for over 15s who love magical fantasy books full of adventure, romance and thrilling action, but I’m sure anyone who reads it will love it.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A shocking, magical adventure in the familiar world of Ravka that is unable to put down.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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